Agenda Item Request
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Authorize the County Manager to submit an application, in partnership with Maine Pretrial Services (MPS), to the Pathways to Pretrial Advancement: Strategic Planning Opportunity offered by Advancing Pretrial Policy and Research (APPR), with Cumberland County, through Cumberland County Public Health (CCPH), serving as applicant and fiscal agent.
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Background and Purpose of Request
Advancing Pretrial Policy and Research (APPR), a national initiative supported by the Center for Effective Public Policy, will select up to eight localities for 12 months of facilitated strategic planning (February 2027 - January 2028). The award is technical assistance only (facilitation, coaching, data support, and peer learning); no grant funds are awarded. Maine Pretrial Services will lead the project, building on the work of the Languishing Committee, to plan alternatives to arrest for people with serious mental illness, substance use disorder, or co-occurring conditions who are at greatest risk of languishing at Cumberland County Jail. The project aligns with the Cumberland County Behavioral Health and Justice Coalition and the County’s Sequential Intercept Model work. Because APPR requires a government applicant, the County, through Cumberland County Public Health, would serve as applicant and fiscal agent. The Grants Committee reviewed and approved the request to apply; applications are due November 16, 2026. See the attached memo for details.
Requestor
Liz Blackwell-Moore, Public Health Director
Funding Amount and Source
None; no grant funds are awarded and no match is required. As noted by the Grants Committee, the County may incur minor costs such as meeting, food, travel (possibly for training), general participation costs, and staff time and effort outlined in the NOFA.
Effective Date if Applicable
Upon authorization. Applications are due November 16, 2026; if selected, the technical assistance period runs February 2027 - January 2028.